Equalizer ob power-regulator



NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALFRED GREGORY, OF BROOKLYN, NEV YORK.

EQUALIZER OR POWER-REGULATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent No.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED GREGORY, of Brooklyn, in the county of Kingsand State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements on theApparatus known as an Equalizer for Steam and other Engines, which imroved apparatus I denominate a Poweregulator; and I do hereby declarethat the following is a full, clear, and exact description of theconstruction and operation of the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which-Figure l, is a side view of a beam condensing engine with the powerregulator' attached, (the` cylinders being represented broken to showthe position of the pistons). Fig. 2, is a plan of the same. `The sameletters of reference point out similar parts in both figures,

The nature of my invention consists in causing the steam, gas, or otherproliiellingv medium, contained in the boiler or reservoir, whichsupplies the engine, to operate (in lieu of air under ordinaryatmospheric pressure as heretofore) upon the piston of the equalizer thesaid piston being connected with the engine or other mover and operatingtherewith in a similar manner as with former equalizers or in any otherappropriate way.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention I willproceed to describe its construction and operation. Before howevercommencing so to do, and with reference to the arrangement selected forillustration, it may be advisable to state, that my improved apparatusis here intended to have for its object or performance, t-he reductionof irregularity in force of an engine, lwhen steam worked eXpansively isused, it being however also applicable to other prime, subsidiary orcounter movers, deriving their effect from similar or other elasticforce or pressure for the production of the same or similar results; andfurther, any suitable arrangement of parts may be adopted according towill or the description of engine or other mover, my improved apparatusis intended to be attached to, such arrangement or application producingno essential difference in the eifect and being substantially the sameas the following example selected for illustration, in which my improvedequalizer or what I denominate a power regulator is 8,345, datedSeptember 9, 1851.

shown connected with an ordinary beam condensing steam engine, of whichA is the cylinder, A1 the engine piston giving motion to the beam B, Cthe connecting rod,

the crank and E the driving shaft.

E is the steam boiler for supplying the engine, G the cold wellcontaining the condenser H and air pump I.

J is the valve box which may carry any suitabler slide valve within it,or any other appropriate form of valve may be used and fixed or variablecut-off employed.

K is the pipe conveying the steam from the boiler to the engine and L isthe escape pipe connected with the condenser.

M is the regulator (or equalizer cylinder, of any convenient depth, N apipe establishing a communication between the steam capacity of theboiler and cylinder M at its top; O a pipe establishing a communicationby passage a Fig. l, between the condenser and cylinder M at its bottom,which relative position of the pipes N, O, however, for a modifiedarrangement of working, may be reversed or otherwise varied, and1 thesteam pipe N, only, if desired, be usec.

P is the regulator piston within the cylinder M, it is shown to receiveits reciprocating motion of two strokes for one of the engine in thefollowing manner.

Q is the rod of the piston P, guided in a perpendicular direct-ion by ablock working in between guide pieces c, c, attached to the standard R.

S is a connecting rod for operating the pist-on P; the rod S is workedfrom an arm T, which together with another arm U, constitutes a bellcrank, that is made to vibrate on a shaft V through means of a rod WVattached to the end of the engine-beam; the point of attachment of therod S on the arm T may be varied through provision made by a slot d, therod S being secured to the arm T by friction nuts e, e, and bolt passingthrough theslot (Z, so that by varying the point of attachment of therod S on the' arm T a greater or less length of stroke is given to thepiston P for the purpose of making more or less powerful, as required,the effect of the regulator or equalizer; any other mechanicalarrangement however, for driving or working the piston P may be adopted.The piston P, it will be seen, by reference to the arcs described (shownin Fig. l) of the arms T and U, receives, in an easy manner, thenecessary movement -of two strokesefor one of the engine piston. Y

In the operation of my improvedapparatus, supposing steam to be cut oii'early in the engine stroke, then 'the attendant' variableness ofpropelling power as caused by the expansion of the steam, is, by theadoption of an equalizer, as described, rendered less important, and asimilar effeet, approximating toward an equality of driving force,produced, as is the case with other equalizers AWhere a vacuum vhas beenemployed, but by yconnecting theequalizer Withthe boiler, not only isthe equalizer yrendered, for a given compactness', morevpowerful, byreason of, say steam at high pressure, operating upon it, but also aself'ad justing effect given it, which causesy itl to maintain a lxedrelative force whatever may be the iiuctuation of the propellingmed iumdriving the engine, Vby reason orl ,the piston P and engine piston bothbeing operated upon by the same propelling `medium derived from the sameboilerA or reservoir; which improvement I claim to be "nevi/,and topossess great advantage, for, where the apparatus is connected with, acondensing engine as represented, andl the vacuum 'of the condenserbroughtl also to bear upon, the opposite face of 'thepiston P as shown,(whichlatter arrangement, of vacuum alone, without the assistance Aofthesteam lor propeiling medium is not new) then,iby the combination ofEforc'es as described, a fixed yrelative'eftect is given to theequalizer whatever may b'e the fluctuation in the boiler or condenser;or, if the apparatus beattached to a noncondensing engine, thenthest'eam alone operating uponone lface of the piston .Pwhilexits,opposite face is exposed to the atmosphere,

feet of fequalizer Vwith the engine toube plies the engine.' y

'causes also a xed'relative ei?-` Y maintained, as is the case in theprevious instance described, noamatterrwhat iiuctuation ofpropellingmedium may occur, which advantage is for the most part the aim of myinvention, and invests the equalizer with V`a more perfect selfadjustingproportionate eiiect than has hitherto been gained by the soleemployment of a separate force to that which drives the engine.

The action otherwise of my apparatus, it will be seen diiers notmaterially, from that of otherequaliZerS, it acting alternately asavdrag andfauxiliary during a'performance of the, engine i StOI1SSr01i@thf Wely, for the' establishment of an equalization'of force or eEectapproximatingthereto; 4which faction it is unnecessary further todescribe, andalso equally runnecessary to specify'the vmany instancesofthe applicability oflsuch improved apparatus; but having thusfully setfort-h that ,which forms my invention,

4I will `proceed'distinctlylto state, that I do not claim `the mereemployment,v as .an equalizer o r regulator, o f aqplston operated by',and' acting against pressure,'al

ternately, each stroke, the said piston vhaving two strokes for loneofthe engine or other ,moverit ,works iny connection with,l as such hasalready been done, nor'do I, claim, separately, exposing the ,equalizeri piston togthe vacuumof the condenser. But-4" 'l f What I'A doolaimvajs my' invention, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is,

I ,Thel use of steam, or other gas, to operate upon the pistonA oftheyjpower regulator-or f equalizerff. the said steam or'gas being'derived Ifromthe same reservoir thatpsup- ALFRED Gandour'.Aj

.1Wtnesseso4 y u A. i, HENRY T. BrowlA e v, A.. Helem-

